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A Minibus for a Catholic Parish in Egypt Success Story The Catholic Parish of Minya in Egypt is still young.
It was only in 2012 that the local authorities finally granted a building
permit for a church in a new suburb of the city. It is the only Catholic Church
for the town itself and for the surrounding area. The parish covers a wide area
of over 460 square miles, with many of the Catholic faithful living a long way
from the church. This has been a major problem in the past, since public
transportation in Egypt is not well developed and very expensive, and the cost
of an entire family regularly attending Mass can be time-consuming and a heavy
drain on the household budget. In situations such as these, it is not unusual for parishes to have their own minibus so that they can ferry the faithful to church and back. The young parish of Minya could not afford to buy a vehicle, and so the parish priest turned to ACN to help. Otherwise it is often not possible for many of the parishioners – especially the elderly, children, women and those with physical handicaps or health problems – to get to church, whether to attend Mass or to receive catechetical sessions or for other reasons. Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we were able to help the parish with a contribution of $31,800, so that they could purchase a minibus. The parishioners each contribute a small amount in return for this service – whatever they can afford – as a contribution towards the running and maintenance costs. At the same time, the bus serves as a school bus for the children from the remoter villages. The Catholic faithful are delighted and ask us to convey their heartfelt thanks to all our benefactors!
Code: 143-01-29 Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive. |
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Keeping the Faith Alive
